Water softners are banned in many municipalities and becoming an even greater problem in the Southern Cal (not sure how other water districts regulate this, we have not been effective and are conducting more research and public outreach).
When the systems regenerate, they flush salty wastewater into the sewer system, which can end up in the waterways, rivers, and Ocean the by products (chlorides) are problematic). Many areas recycle the water. The extra salinity – much of it added by water softeners – causes problems. That means it may have to be treated at the wastewater plant(at taxpayer expense). Be aware that often, if you use salt system you can’t water your yard and may need to install a by pass. Also elderly folks or people with medical conditions may want to avoid for health reasons.

In the water industry we are struggling with the issue. We build water treatment plants that reduce the natural hardness of the water, but people still like the “soft” water for their skin and hair and that is just not possible for us to achieve. Benefit of hard water is that it tastes better! Soft water does not taste good.

Vinegar is great for removing the hard water deposits and environmentally/pocket book friendly.